Stabilized fabric and method of making the same



Patented Oct. 22, 1946 STABILIZED FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKIN G THE SAME Edward C. Pfeifer, Jr., and John A. Tweed, Troy,

and Jack .l'armak, White Plains, N. Y., assign- .ors to Cluett, Peabody & 00., 1110., Troy, N. Y.,

a corporation of New York N Drawing. Application August 25, 1944, Serial No. 551,250

3 Claims. (01. 28-72) This invention pertains to textiles, and more particularly to a method of preparing a textile fabric having in respect to appearance, softness, draping qualities and feel the general characteristics of usual all spun rayon materials, for instance spun rayon broadcloth, but which is stable with respect to laundry shrinkage.

Whereas cotton fabrics are satisfactorily shrink-proofed by compressive treatment, for instance as more fully disclosed in the patent to Cluett, No. 1,861,424, dated May 31, 1832, this treatment is not always satisfactorily effective when applied to usual spun rayon fabrics. Spun rayon fabrics have the property of progressively shrinking when washed. On the other hand, cotton fabrics are substantially stable as respects progressive shrinkage (shrinkage usually being negligible after the first wash), whereas spun rayon fabrics continue progressively to decrease in length each time they are washed, thus effectively neutralizing any effect on structural shrinkage imparted by mechanical stabilizing methods. Spun rayon fabrics have been stabilized in respect to wash shrinkage by chemical or similar treatments, usually involving the deposit in or on the yarn or its constituent fibers of some substance, for instance one of the synthetic resins, which reduces or prevents water absorption and the subsequent dilation and longitudinal shrinkage of the fiber. However, the chemical stabilization of spun rayon fabric is expensive and attended with many difficulties, among them its tendency to stiffen and harshen the fabric; to discolor it and to impart a persistent disagreeable odor; and to cause chlorine retention when the fabric is bleached with consequent tendering when ironed.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a procedure whereby fabric, having the usual distinguishing characteristics of pure spun rayon fabrics, with respect at least to appearance, draping qualities, feel, etc., may be made substantially stable with respect to laundry shrinkage without resort to chemical treatment. While it has heretofore been suggested that results of this general type may be obtained by weaving a fabric in which cotton and spun rayon yarns are alternated in the warp or in both warp and filling, or by using for warp or filling or both, ply yarns each comprising strands of cotton and spun rayon twisted together, the resultant fabrics, though showing some less progressive shrinkage than pure spun rayon fabrics, are not by any means fully stabilized. More important is the fact that such fabrics can not be made to have the visual appearance and other distinguishing characteristics of pure spun rayons, particularly when dyed, since the cotton strands persistently retain their identity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fabric having the appearance of spunrayon as above described, but which may be made stable in respect to laundry shrinkage by subjecting it to. customary mechanical stabilizing processes such, for example, as that disclosed in the-aforementioned patent to Cluett.

In attaining these desirable objects, the present invention contemplates the preparation of warp yarns designed for use in making a woven fabric comprising fillin yarns of pure spun rayon, each warp yarn as spun, consisting of a blend of cotton and rayon staple fibers. When such blended yarns are employed in the warp in the construction of the fabric (Within the range of percentages hereinafter suggested), the com pleted fabric, after weaving, and finishing, is found to show a substantial warp shrinkage when washed, although such shrinkage is not nearly as great as that of a rayon fabric consisting of pure spun rayon warps and wefts. However, if this new fabric, afterweaving and finishing be subjected to mechanical stabilization, for example in accordance with the disclosure of the aforesaid Cluett patent, the fabric is rendered very stable as respects shrinkage, in fact substantially as stable as a pure cotton fabric. Moreover, fabrics falling within the range of the permissible percentages of cotton and rayon staple, as hereinafter described, are substantially indistinguishable from pure spun rayons in respect to appearance, draping qualities, feel and uniformity of coloration in dyeing, so that they may be used in substitution for pure spun rayons but with the great advantage that they do not shrink when laundered,

Careful experimental tests appear to show that to secure this novel and useful result the warp yarns of the fabric should. contain at least 40% of cotton, since it isin the warp-wise direction that Wash shrinkage makes itself most manifest.

aeoasec It has also been found as the result of such tests that the percentage of cotton should not exceed 60% in the warp yarns in order to retain the desired spun rayon appearance and feel.

Within this permissive range, and after compressive shrinking, such a mixed fabric has been found to be substantially stable as respects laundry shrinkage after one wash, whereas a similar fabric, but of pure rayon, although likewise subjected to compressive shrinking, continues to shrink in laundering even after twenty washings.

Without any limiting intent, but merely as practical examples of fabrics produced in accordance with the present process, and as ex- I amples of appropriate procedures in producing these fabrics, the following specific instances are cited:

EXAMPLE'I A broadcloth fabric is made with a warp count of 96 threads per inch and a filling count of 60 threads per inch woven 39" wide, yielding 3.70 yards per pound. The warp consists of 30/1 blended yarns each composed of 50% viscose staple rayon, 1.5 denier having a staple length of 1 /16 and 50% American cotton having a staple length of 1 /32. This blend may be 'obtained by recognized mill practice, and the resulting blend is processed on usual cotton textile mill machinery. The yarn is given 19.2 turns per inch of Z twist. The filling consists of a 30/1 yarns of 1.5 denier, viscose rayon staple having a staple length of 1 /16", with 16.4 turns per inch of Z twist. This fabric is woven with a plain weave.

The above fabric is finished according to usual cotton finishing practices and it is then mechanically stabilized to remove all appreciable shrinkage. These finishing steps are: Desizing, kier boiling, souring, peroxide bleaching, and, as the final step, mechanical stabilization.

EXAMPLE 2 A broadcloth fabric is made having a warp count of 136 threads per inch of a 40/1 blended yarn composed of 60% of 1.5 denier viscose rayon, 1 /16" staple length and 40% of American cotton, and a filling count of 60 threads per inch of a 40/1 yarn composed of 1.5 denier Viscose rayon, 1 /16" staple length. Suitable direction of twist and turns per inch may be used to produce the desired yarn size and the fabric is woven with a plain weave. Finishing procedure is the same as that used for Example 1.

EXAMPLE 3 A two up and twodown right-hand twill fabric is made with 136 warp threads per inch and 60 filling threads per inch. The warp is a 40/1 blended yarn composed of 40% of 1.5 denier viscose rayon having a 1 /16 staple length and 60% American cotton of average length. The filling is a 40/1 yarn composed of 1.5 denier viscose rayon having a staple length of 1 /16. Suitable direction of twist and turns per inch may be used to produce the desired yarn size. Finishing procedure is the same as that used for Example 1.

EXAMPLE 4 An Oxford fabric having a warp count of 90 threads per inch of 50/1 blended yarn composed of 50% of 1.5 denier viscose rayon having a staple length of 1 /16 and 50% of American cotton is woven with a filling count of 50 threads per inch of 13/1 yarn composed of 1.5 denier, l /1e' are all of pure spun rayon, and the yarns of fyarns.

4 staple viscose rayon. Suitable direction of twist and turns per inch may be used to produce the desired yarn sizes. This fabric may be woven with any of the usual Oxford weaves. Finishing procedure is the same as that used for Example 1.

An additional permissive step is that of dyeing, which may be done in any acceptable conventional manner, either in the yarn or after weaving, the mixed fabric showin a uniform color, and in this respect being substantially indistinguishable from a pure spun rayon fabric. The novel material thus differs substantially from fabrics heretofore proposed in which yarns of pure spun rayon are interwoven with yarns of pure cotton or plied with cotton yarns, since in these latter types of fabric the cotton retains its identity, and is quite apparent to visual observation, especially after dyeing.

In the above specific examples the filling yarns mixed cotton and rayon staple fibers are warp The percentage of cotton in the fabric as a whole is thus very appreciably lower than the percentage of cotton in the warp yarns. Accordingly, the characteristics of the rayon staple fibers predominate in the fabric, insuring the desirable spun-rayon hand, drape and feel. The incorporation of the entire amount of cotton employed in the warps is very satisfactory from the standpoint of shrinkage, since'the warp yarns of a fabric are subjected to the tensions of warping, slashing, weaving and finishing, whereas the filling yarns are subjected to very little tension throughout processing, so that the warp of a fabric has excessive potential shrinkage while the filling has little potential shrinkage or none at all. Therefore the warp is the primary problem in stabilizing fabrics, whereas the filling poses no particular problem. In this connection, it is also of interest to point out that in most garments, for example, men's shirts, the sleeve and body lengths are cut warpwise and the collar length (which extends around the neck) is cut warpwise, so that in the garment the warp shrinkage is more important than the filling shrinkage.

As evidenced by the above examples, the present invention reduces the important warp shrinkage by the inclusion of the cotton blended in the warp yarns and the progressive shrinkage is essentially eliminated, while the pure spun rayon filling yarns impart to the fabric the hand, feel and drape of pure spun yarn fabrics.

As showing specifically the results as respects stabilization by the above method, in particular the method pointed out in Example 1, the results of certain tests to determine shrinkage are given as follows, the results having been obtained by wash tests on a fabric woven as described. in Example 1,

This fabric had been given the usua1 finishing processes except the mechanical stabilization process:

Percent shrinkage (before mechanical stabilization) modified wash test Washes Length Width Percent Percent 5 As indicated above, this fabric has considerable shrinkage in the length and elongation in the width, but only .9% progressive shrinkage in the warp. denotes a gain.)

Percent shrinkage (after mechanical stabilization) Washes Length Width Percent Percent CCGTl9la wash test .0 .0 After 10 commercial launderings 1.11-1- After 15 commercial launderings 28 1. 67+ After 20 commercial launderings 0 83+ As indicated above, this fabric is extremely stable through one test wash and 20 additional commercial launderings. denotes a gain.)

As a further illustrative example of the advan tages of the present invention, two fabrics X and Y (X being a mixed fabric substantially identical with that of Example 1 above, and Y being identical in structure but of pure rayon) were compared for laundry shrinkage by test with the following results indicates gain) The warp shrinkage with these two fabrics before they were mechanically stabilized was as follows:

Wash shrinkage (in. per yd.)

No. of Warp shrinkwashes age 1 3. l3 2 3. 28 X 3 3. 45 4 3. 40 5 3. 43 l 3. 63 2 3. 75 Y 3 3. 98 4 4. 03 5 4.

Wash test results on the mechanically stabilized fabrics in this test were as follows:

It may be noted that the fabrics prepared in accordance with the specific examples above described all have the appearance and advantage of pure, spun rayon fabrics without the usual disadvantage of shrinkage instability.

We claim:

1. Method of preparing a stabilized fabric suitable for shirting and launderable dress goods and having substantially the appearance, feel and draping qualities of shirting and the like fabrics composed of pure spun rayon, which comprises interweaving filling yarns consisting of pure spun rayon with warp yarns consisting of a blend of from 40% to rayon staple and from 60% to 40% cotton staple, thereafter subjecting the woven fabric to an aqueous finishing treatment, and subsequently subjecting the treated fabric to warp-wise compressive shrinkage, thereby stabilizing it in respect to progressive laundry shrinkage.

2. Method of preparing a stabilized fabric suitable for shirting and launderable dress goods and having substantially the appearance, fee1 and draping qualities of shirting and the like fabrics composed of pure spun rayon, which comprises interweaving filling yarns consisting of pure spun rayon with warp yarns consisting of a blend of from 40% to 60% rayon staple and from 60% to 40% cotton staple, the thread count of the warp yarns being from to 136 per inch and that of the filling yarns being from 50 to 60 per inch, thereafter subjecting the woven fabric to an aqueous finishing treatment, and subsequently subjecting the treated fabric to warp-wise compressive shrinkage, thereby stabilizing it in respect to progressive laundry shrinkage.

3. A stabilized fabric suitable for shirting and launderable dress goods and having substantially the appearance, feel and draping qualities of shirting and the like fabrics composed of pure spun rayon, but which is substantially stable at least warp-wise as respects progressive laundry shrinkage, said fabric comprising interwoven warp and filling yarns, each filling yarn consisting of pure spun rayon and each warp yarn consisting of a blend of from 40% to 60% rayon staple and from 60% to 40% of cotton staple, said fabric having been processed in accordance with the method of claim 1.

EDWARD C. PFEFFER, JR. JOHN A. TWEED. JACK JARMAK. 

